Mexican-American singer-songwriter Renee Goust has been singing her whole life, first falling in love with music as a child growing up in Arizona and Mexico.  

For the past six years, the queer artist has seen her popularity rise as she works on how to redefine the way traditional Mexican music is heard.  

She said her mother tried to put her into choir when she was four, and her choir teacher told her she wasn’t able to sing. Once she transitioned to piano lessons, she began to improvise melodies when she was tired of her exercises, which is when she learned she could write music.  

“I write from a perspective of being a person of color… as a woman, as a queer person,” said Goust.  

Goust uses her music to focus on social justice issues like immigration and gender equality, and her talent caught the attention of the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, who awarded her $18,000 in 2020 via the NYC Women’s Fund for Media, Music and Theatre.  

“After being granted the women’s fund, I was able to produce my first full-length album which is ‘Re-sister’,” said Goust. “I really feel like it has pushed my career forward.”

Goust is currently on tour and hopes to continue being a voice for a community she feels is often unheard.